East Syracuse Village Justice Donald M. Benack, Jr., 61, who has been on the bench since 2007, has died.

Benak, who lived in East Syracuse his entire life, died Thursday at Crouse Hospital after an illness. He graduated from East Syracuse Minoa High School in 1970.

Benack was awarded an Air Medal for meritorius achievement in 1972 after serving in combat with the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, He was an Onondaga County deputy sheriff, retiring in 2005 after 26 years with the department.

Bridget Albanese, his clerk in East Syracuse, said he was a great man and a blessing to work for. "He loved to tell stories about Vietnam, and about his time with the sheriff's department,'' she said. "He was most definitely a family man, and his grandchildren were the apple of his eye."

East Syracuse Village Clerk Patricia Derby said Benack "had a huge personality" and was a lot of fun as a person.

Albanese said he battled heart problems, diabetes and then liver trouble but continued to serve on the bench whenever he could. "He stayed up to date on everything happening in the court,'' she said.

When Albanese first met Benack seven years ago, he told her they were a team. "He told me if I go, he goes because I understood it all,'' she said.

Benack was the chief executive officer and co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans CNY Foundation. He is survived by his wife, Kelly, three children and three grandchildren.